Electric lamp socket



July 13, 1937. A. H. NERO 2,087,163

ELECTRIC LAM? SOCKET Filed. Dec. 8, 1934 I INVELNTOR ARVID H NERO BY HIsJATTORNEYS Patented July 13, 1937 PATENT OFFIQE ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET Arvid H. Nero, West Hartford, Conn, assignor to The Arrow-Hart & Hegeman Electric Company, Hartford, Conrn, a corporation of Connecticut Application December 8, 1934, Serial No. 756,686

6 Claims.

This invention relates to electric lamp sockets. More particularly it relates to electric lamp sockets for use in show cases or other situations where a limited amount of space is available for mounting a socket and for connecting it to the feed lines.

It is an object of my invention to provide a mounting for a socket which may be attached to a support in such a position that the socket body rotating the socket.

Another object of my invention is to provide a socket body and mounting which may be secured together in assembled position by a single screw or other securing means which can be manipulated through the front end of the socket body.

Another object is to provide a mounting for a socket, which can be attached to a support before the socket is wired, and on which the socket may be mounted after wiring.

Another object is to provide a socket mounting which may be attached to a support, and on which a socket may then be mounted when wired, and to secure the socket and mounting in place by a single securing means.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the invention is described in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of my new lamp socket mounted upon a support. A portion of the parts are broken away for the purpose of illustration.

Figure 2 is a View of the rear end of the socket shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end View of the same end of the socket shown in Figure 2 but with the cover plate removed.

Figure 4 is a view of the front end of the socket.

Figure 5 is a detailed View in side elevation of the socket mounting, applied to a common type of apertured narrow plate support.

Referring to the drawing it will be noted that a socket body it), made of insulating material 45 such as porcelain or a molded phenolic condensation product, is generally cylindrical in shape and has a cylindrical bore in one end to accommodate a oonventionalmetallic screw shell l2 and center contact M which are adapted to engage with the base of a conventional electric lamp l6. The insulating body IEI has a pair of parallel ribs l8, l8 axially extending along its periphery and spaced approximately 60. These ribs l8 terminate a short distance from the opposite end of the insulating body from the screw shell to may be attached thereto without the necessity of provide a space for a metallic, nippled, mounting member 29.

This mounting member 20 is generally of U- shape with a screw threaded nipple 22 projecting from its central portion in a direction away from the insulating body in order that the mounting member may be attached to a support 2i having a complementary screw thread for the nipple. At each of the four corners of the mounting memher there are fingers 24, a, b, o, d, respectively projecting therefrom, the fingers 24a, 24b and Z ta, 24d on the same side being in alignment, and the fingers at opposite sides on the same ends being parallel so that the fingers 24b, 24d, at one end may take into recesses 26 provided in the ribs of the insulating body, for attaching that end of the mounting member to the insulating body. The projecting fingers Zea, 24c at theother end of the mounting member are adapted to fit into apertures 28 provided in a disc-shaped cover 29 of metal which is adapted to fit against the opposite end of the insulating body from the screw shell. This disc member acts as a protecting cover for the wire terminals (hereinafter described) in addition to its function of holding the mounting member in assembled position upon the insulating body.

The end of the insulating body beneath the cover disc is recessed as at 30, 32 for wire terminal means each comprising a pair of small oval shaped metallic members 34 each having a screw 36 mounted at one end for binding the feed wires of an electric circuit to the terminal plates 34. The other end of each of these terminal plates has a screw-threaded hole for the reception of screws 31 and 38 respectively which passes in axial direction through the insulating body from the screw shell and center contact in position and to electrically connect them with their respective terminal plates. The central portion of the bottom of the screw shell is punched out so that the central contact will not be in engagement therewith. Within the area of this central portion an axial bore 40 is provided through the insulating body into which fits a securing screw 42 which takes into a screw-threaded hole in the cover disc to secure that disc upon the insulating body.

In order to prevent possible contact of the binding screws or of the feed wires with the cover plate 29 an insulating disc 43 or lining may be secured to the inside surface of the cover disc or placed between that surface of the cover disc and the insulating body when the cover disc is mounted in assembled position.

7 From the foregoing it will be observed that the mounting member may be screwed into a support 24 in the position in which the insulating body is to be mounted and the feed wires may be pulled through the hollow nipple 22 and secured by the binding screws 36 to the terminal plates 34. Then the insulating body l0 may be engaged with the mounting member 20 and the cover disc 29 fitted upon theend and engaged with the mounting member by fitting the projecting fingers 24w, 240 into the apertures 28 of the disc 28 and 24b, 24d into the recesses 26 of the ribs I8 of the insulating body. The parts may then be secured in this position by manipulation of the securing screw 42 through the front end, that is to say through the screw shell.

In Figure 5 I have shown the mounting member 20 secured to a common type of apertured narrow plate support. The screw threaded nipple 22 extends through the aperture in the plate and is secured thereto by a nut which is screwed upon the screw threaded nipple and against the surface of the plate support. A finger Al i may extend from one end of the central portion of the mounting member 2% and may be bent up to have its end extend through a small aperture in the plate support, thereby preventing rotation of the mounting member 20 relative to the plate support.

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have provided a simple and effective means for mounting an electric lamp socket in a place where a limited amount of space is available, by reason of the fact that this mounting means does not require the rotation of the socket body.

Many changes within the scope of my invention will occur to those skilled in the art and therefore I donot limit myself to the specific embodiment disclosed.

I claim:

1. In a lamp socket, an insulating body, shell and center contact means mounted on said body for engaging an electric lamp base, feed-wire binding means on said body electrically connected with said contact means, means for'mounting said body on a support, means comprising, a part separate from said mounting means for completely covering said binding means and holding said mounting means in place, said mounting means being rotatable alone in a smaller space than if combined with any other socket part, and a single means securing said cover means on said body andadapted to be manipulated through the open end of said shell contact means.

2. In an electric lamp socket, insulating base means, shell and center contacts mounted on said base means, feed-wire binding means electrically connected with said contacts, mounting means constructed and arranged to be mounted on a support by rotation independent of any other part of the socket and in a smaller space than if attached to any other socket part, and means cooperating with said base means to enclose said binding means, said cooperating means and said base means engaging with and holding said mounting means in position.

3. In an electric lamp socket, an insulating base, shell and center contacts mounted on said base for engaging a lamp base, binding terminals electrically connected with said contacts and mounted on said base, a mounting member with a screw-threaded nipple for mounting the socket on a support, said nipple having a passage through which pass the feed wires for the socket, a cap member at one end of said base separate from said mounting member, and means securing said cap and base together, said securing means being adapted to be manipulated through said shell contact, said cap and base cooperating to hold said mounting member in assembled position, said mounting member being constructed and arranged to permit its rotation in a smaller space than if attached to any other socket part.

4. In an electric lamp socket, an insulating base means, shell and center contacts mounted on said insulating base means, feed-wire binding means electrically connected with said contacts, mounting means adapted to be mounted on a support by rotation, the dimensions of said mounting means being determined so that said mounting means may rotate in a space too small for rotation of the whole assembled socket, and? means formed separately of said mounting means and cooperating with said base means to enclose said binding means, said enclosing means and said base means engaging with and holding said mounting means in position.

5. In an electric lamp socket, an insulating body, screw shell and center contacts mounted onsaid body for engaging a lamp base, binding terminals at one end of said body for feed wires, a nipple at the side of the body for mounting it, a cover plate at said one end of the body separate from said nipple and completely enclosing said terminals, said cover plate and body engaging said nipple to hold said nipple in place, and a single screw means projecting through said body and holding said cover plate in position, said screw means being adapted to be manipulated by a screw driver inserted into said screw shell.

6. In an electric lamp socket, insulating base means, shell and center contacts mounted on said base means, feed-wire binding means electrically connected with said contacts, mounting means adapted to be mounted on a support by rotation and means cooperating with said base means to enclose said binding means, said enclosing means and said base means engaging with and holding said mounting means in position, and means formed, integrally with said mounting means and adapted to engage in an aperture in said support to prevent rotation of said mounting means on said sup-port.

ARVID I-I. NERO. 

